For Health Reasons

Our lifespans would be much shorter if not for advances in health care. Prescription drugs save lives. In a few cases there is only one drug that makes us feel better. Those who suffer from glaucoma or the effects of chemo know what I am talking about. Marijuana, or more specifically Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), makes these individuals feel much better. It reduces feelings of nausea and lowers the amount of pain. The drug is illegal unless under specific circumstances. It is best to look at both sides of the issue.

Can Marijuana do harm? For those mentioned above it may increase quality of life. There are safe and clean places to purchase it. Leaf and pill form are made available to anyone who can pay. There are times though when this drug ends up in the hands of youth. Adults have been known to drive while under the influence and cause accidents. Not all growers act in a responsible manner. Their farms create industrial type wastes and increase crime rates in the surrounding area.

Users argue that it is a cheap high. They maintain that it makes them feel good, allow them to be more creative and that there are no long term effects. Scientists have not come to a consensus as to Marijuana's cumulative physiological effects. Whether it is a "gateway" drug has been highly debated. I maintain that it is. Like any aspect of life, when it stops satisfying our desires, we seek out more and greater of an effect. Drugs overall are no exception.

Although Marijuana is taxed, few people out of fear of arrest, actually pay what they owe. Crime rates increase due to drugs. Costs to enforce existing laws are more than some communities can bear. Harm reduction rather than prison is a viable option. It costs a state much more to house non-violent offenders than to decriminalize the use of Marijuana. These financial costs as well as others must be weighed against the common good.

Even though the drug helps those whom are sick there are still laws against casual use. THC pills should be freely prescribed by doctors for the ill. Arrest for the others is appropriate. There should be a price to pay. This price should not include prison but instead we must find a way to treat these individuals. It would be better for all concerned. More money would be available for public services rather than housing and feeding criminals.

There is another way of looking at the problem of illegality. Police spend far too much time going after Marijuana users. Dealers, by their very existence, increase local crime rates. It might be best for the United States to simply decriminalize the drug but control its growth and its distribution. In this way the criminals are taken out of the loop. People would then be free to enjoy the drug without fear of reprisal. Those found guilty of crimes committed while under the influence would incur a stiffer penalty.

Much good could come from Marijuana if it were made legal. Hemp can be used to create clothing, paper and food items. People would be free to do what they like in the privacy of their own homes. Treatment of disease or sickness would not hold such a stigma. Crimes rates would be reduced and a new source of revenue would be found by state and federal governments. Marijuana addiction would be openly treated by hospitals and clinics. Adults who provide the drug to youth would still be prosecuted as they would if it were alcohol or another drug.

This is not likely to happen. Harm reduction is simply not practiced here. It is for the same reason we do not believe in preventative medicine. We, as a society, do not pay attention to an issue until it becomes a problem. I am a realist. I believe that Marijuana does little harm as compared to other illegal substances. Far too much time and money is spent on fighting its growth, sale, and use, housing non-violent criminals and local crime committed by dealers. It is high time we decriminalize Marijuana and save millions in taxes. Society would be better served if we stopped fighting the monster that propaganda created.